Athlete Journal: Holley Mangold, Entry 18 - Back Home From the OTC

EDITOR'S NOTE: Welcome to the Athlete Journal of Olympic weightlifter Holley Mangold. Follow her journey here as she trains for the 2016 Olympics! Holley's journal will be posted every Friday. You can catch up by reading her previous journal entries.

Holley’s Athlete Journal 18:

Happy Holidays!!

Recently, I made the move back from the Olympic Training Center in Colorado to my home in Dublin, Ohio. It’s been wonderful to come home, but reverting back to the “real world” is going to be a challenge. When I was living in the OTC, my meals were ready for me, which is something I really took for granted. I am trying to stick to the healthy meal plan that was set up for me, and it’s a challenge cooking healthy meals for myself. Beyond the dietary difficulties, I am really missing the sports medicine people who fixed me up daily. Now, I have rehab exercises that I need to keep up with while I’m sitting on my couch.

The closeness of the gym is also a luxury that I’ll miss. Instead of being able to walk to the gym, I have to drive the twenty minutes to the YMCA. I absolutely love my coach and training partners who train with me in the YMCA’s Olympic weightlifting section. However, just on the other side of the glass is the part where all of the “normal workouters” go. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but there’s a different attitude between people who jog to look good in a bathing suit and people who work out in order to be elite athletes. There is a competitive vibe that you get in the OTC that you don’t really get from everyone in the YMCA.

Training wise, I have been able to snatch 25 kilos. I’ve been working on the clean part of the clean and jerk, but I can’t bend my wrist far enough for the whole lift. I do a lot of squats and cardio right now. When I lift, I make sure to tape both wrists as tight as possible so that they feel similar. That helps me balance the bar.

Below I’ve posted a sample workout. I am back to working at City Barbeque, so my workouts are only once a day. While at City BBQ, my job is to lift big boxes of food, so I’ve gotten pretty good at lifting with one hand.

During the holidays, I will be attempting to get in workouts and remain healthy. It would be fantastic if I had a bar that I could carry around with me so I’m always ready for a workout. I’m working on that!

Ohio native Holley Mangold is no stranger to elite competition. The daughter of an accomplished swimmer, Holley made her own name for herself when she became the first girl ever to start in an Ohio High School State Championship football game (as an offensive lineman no less). And if you know anything about high school football in Ohio, you know the significance of that achievement.
Though Holley loved her twelve years on the football field, her athletic career came to a... Read More